Most Martial Arts dictionaries define Hojojutsu as ' Techniques used to tie and immobilized a victim by means of a cord. It was practiced by the Japanese samurai and is today part of the training given to Japanese policemen.'

Hojojutsu is the feudal martial skill of restraining a prisoner with rope. The warrior class practiced it and in particular the samurai, who acted as police officers. The word hojo is made up of the character 'ho', which is also pronounced 'tori' and means to catch, seize or arrest someone, the character 'jo', which is also pronounced 'nawa' and means rope, and of course the word 'jutsu', meaning art or skill. The actual characters can then be read in English as either 'torinawa jutsu' or 'hojo jutsu'. However, both meanings remain the same. The main reason for tying someone up is because a need has arisen to keep them alive and take them captive, or prevent their escape. This was often the case during Japan's feudal period, particularly when the captured enemy was thought to be able to be persuaded to part with vital information, or be used in an exchange deal for someone of importance who had been captured by the other side. There were various other reasons why rope tying was employed in Japan. One further purpose was to secure prisoners who were to be brought before a magistrate and tried for crimes they had committed.

This is a skill developed by the Samurai who needed to capture and hold an opponent alive or to transport a prisoner from place to place. Skills were developed to hold, restrain and tie an opponent. These techniques were developed to hold the opponent securely, not applied in a haphazard fashion. There were also several social aspects to be considered (i.e. the social position of the opponent). It was considered shameful to have a rope placed upon your person, so techniques were developed to restrain with using any knot's so the opponent couldn't be thought of as in 'bondage'. These techniques also facilitated the quick release of opponents either to freedom or another authority with ease.

There were four rules to Hojojutsu.